Mara and the Rise of the Black Leopards Updated
by vayetze
Summary: Nala dies after Kovu and Kiara get married. Many lionesses want to be Simba's new queen but he loses his heart to a rogue lioness who is brought up by leopards. Simba/OC Kovu/Kiara, Vitani/Mheetu Meanwhile a group of leopards cause trouble for the Pridelands and blame it on the black leopards. Can their king convince Simba that he is being blamed unfairly? Updated today.


Chapter 1 the Catastrophe

Mara was only a six month old white lioness. She was a creamy lioness with a an underbelly of beige and beautiful blue eyes. She was part of the large pride that lived in the Liora district in what is now present day AFRICA. Liora was a beautiful prideland and King Mzungu ruled it. King Mzungu was a magnificent white lion with blue eyes. Mara was the King's daughter. Mara was often teased by other cubs especially her brothers because they were tawny lions. She was the smallest and scruffiest cub. Yet she was a fearless and spirited and her father was proud of her. She always took her place by his side.

At six months old, she grew into a fine white lioness. Mara had a twin sister named Marisi. The two girls were the only white lions in the pride besides their father. There was plenty of game in Liora including zebra and antelope. Rhino and elephant hers roamed the plains. The girls had learned how to hunt a little and took their place with their father. Soon he would have to pick one to rule and both would require mates. But for now they spent their days in idyllic play. They wrestled each other and went after game together. But beyond the border of Liora a crisis ensued. Men in a war torn country across the border were coming into to Liora to poach game. One day the Lions heard a thundering noise and smelled blood. They ran across several elephants lying dead and bleeding. A few days later they say the carcass of a skinned leopard.

Then they came across a zebra herd. The herd had been skinned. They sat by the herd for several days and ate the scraps of meat. But two weeks later, they came to an area were several antelopes had been slain. These were not skinned and the pride devoured the meat. Mara ate and decided to rest in the trees away fron the rest of the pride. Then she saw a dust cloud on the horizon. She heard a strange noise. It sounded like rocks tumbling on the ground. Mara was hidden in the trees when it happened. She saw the poachers coming in their trucks. They surrounded the lions and drove to where the pride was eating. Then one by one they slaughtered her family. Mzungu and his brother Semsi warned the others. They all tried to run but they could not outrun the bullets. Poor Mara watched the slaughter. Marisi and Mzungu were killed first. Then her mother and the other lionesses were shot. Not even the small cubs were spared. Mara stayed into the trees for hours. Several of the more beautiful lions were taken away and the rest were left to rot in the sun. Mara stayed with her mother and began a mournful roar. Her cries split the air. But no lion came for her. Her pride was gone and she was alone. She was indeed the last lioness.

Mara subsisted on scraps and on small game for the next three days. Then one day she saw an antelope carcass stuck in a tree. She jumped into the tree to gnaw on it. A few minutes later she heard a strange growl. She looked down and saw two black leopards. She had just taken their kill. How could she fight them?

Chapter 2 Black Leopard Clan

"We will get you!" One of the leopards growled. " Steal our food! Come on Samizi! Get her!

Two leopards ran up the tree. One jumped near the branch Mara was on and raked her with a paw. The other leopard leaped on her back.

"Shetana! Samizi! Stop!' A voice yelled. The leopards and lioness looked down. A large black leopard looked up at the three. "Samizi, get off the lioness's back! Shetana come down here at one! Samizi get out of the tree! Can't you see this lioness is just a cub?"

The two rushed down to the large black leopard! "Dad she tried to steal our kill!" Shetana complained.

"Leave her alone. She is obvioulsy hungry and does not know how to hunt! Lioness, come out of the tree and bring down the kill to us. We will not hurt you." the large black leopard told her. Mara dragged the kill out of the tree and dropped it at the feet of the large black leopard.

The black leopard was handsome and only a little taller than she was. She stared into kind large yellow eyes. He was handsome. She could see spots beneath his shiny black coat. The other two leopards were about two third s his size but they had large teeth and formidable claws. Two or three leopards could easily finish off a lioness.

"What is your name Lioness?" asked the black leopard. "Are you part of the pride that was killed three days ago?"

At the mention of her pride, Mara nodded sadly. Her eyes filled with tears. The black Leopard put a large paw on her shoulder. She then cried and leaned her head on his chest. When she finished, she backed away and starred at him."I'm sorry," she said. "My name is Mara."

"Do not worry, Mara. It is normal to cry at things like that. You have been through a lot child. I am Sousani and I am King of the Leopards here at Liora. The same men killed two leopards in our group."

You must come with us and eat. I was a friend of King Mzungu and I know you are his daughter. Please come with us. It is dangerous for you to be wandering about alone."

"Come on Mara,"" said Shetana. " Our mother and me can teach you how to hunt." Mara nodded and went with the three leopards to their den in a large pink rock. When they came, she was greeted by Shoshana, the mother leopard. Shoshana was black also. In addition there were four more black leopards and two spotted leopards. They welcomed Mara into their group. Mara ate some of the antelope and felt better than she had in days.

Mara became friends with Shetana and learned how to hunt. She helped Shetana and Shoshana bring food for the group. The three often worked as a unit. Soon Mara was helping them to bring down large game. She often played games with the leopards. Sousani and Shoshana adopted her and treated her like a daughter. She began to grow into a large and beautiful lioness and soon she was bigger than her adoptive parents. But sometimes she had to go hunting alone as leopards are almost always solitary. She became a formidable huntress. Sometimes she would disappear for days as Shetana and Samizi did. She became cunning and was able to bring down large prey by herself. She also learned how to defend her prey from the large hyena clans at Liora. She could also climb trees and put her kills in them. She stayed with the leopard family for four years.

Chapter 3 A parting of the the Leopard Family

Sousani's heart was heavy. Soon he would have to talk to Mara. Shosana, his wife kept reminding him about it. "Sousani, the leopard clans are meeting soon! You must tell Mara she cannot go with us. The other leopards will not want her at the clan meeting! Or are we just going to send her on a hunting expedition and leave her behind?"

"I would not do that to Mara, Shoshana. She is like a daughter to me," replied Sousani. " I will talk to her tonight!"

Sousani had to come up with a plan. He did not want to leave Mara by herself at Liora and he could not take her to the leopard clans. But he could make sure that she would find a pride of lions to live with. He would send her to the Pridelands. She would cross the river and after a two day journey she would end up in the Pridelands. Their King Simba was known for being a compassionate King. Surely he would let her join his pride or send her somewhere else where there were other lions. She could accompany them for part of their journey to the Leopard Clan Meeting. He told his plan to Shoshana and she agreed it was the best solution. They hoped they could persuade Mara to listen.

"Mara, I must talk to you, my child!" Sousani announced.

"Yes, Father," Mara said.

"Mara, our leopard family must go to the leopard clan meeting. We meet every few years to find mates for our children and to go to new territories. Do you know of this?"

"Yes, Father. Shetana and Samizi never stop talking about it. I am really looking forward to going. I can't wait to meet the other leopards."

" I am afraid you cannot do that, Mara. Not all leopards look upon lions as friends as our family does. Many leopards look on lions as the enemy. Should I bring you there my daughter, some of the leopards may surely kill you. I cannot allow that."

"Then I will stay here and wait for you, Father."

"No, you must not do that either. Once our family goes to the clan meeting we will go to a new territory. Things will change. Samizi and Shetana will go with their mates and Shoshana and I will accompany one of them. I do not know if the families of their new mates will accept you. You are grown up now Mara. It is time for us to part ways."

"But surely, you don't mean to leave me here alone! I will die of loneliness. I have no one. Am I supposed to stay here by myself?"

She almost burst into tears.

"Mara, please listen. You cannot stay here by yourself either. You are a lioness and the daughter of a lion king. You must find a lion pride and take your place with them in the Circle of Life."

"But, where will I go?"

"Five days journey from here is a rich kingdom beyond the Great River. You will cross the River and go to the east. The kingdom is called the Pridelands and is ruled by a compassionate lion king called Simba. You must journey there. One of Simba's family or his majordomo will fetch you. You will tell this guard that you want to join Simba's Pride and you will roll over on your back in a submissive position. Then they will take you to King Simba and he will make his decision. If he accepts you , you can stay. If he does not, he will tell you where to journey to find other lions. Either way, you will be with your own kind. Until then, you may accompany us on our journey to the clan meeting. But once we reach the Great River , you must part from us. Do you agree to this?"

"I guess so. But I could always follow you."

"Please do not do this, Mara. The other leopards may hurt our family as well. There is a faction of spotted leopards lead by King Twombo. They hate anyone who is not like them. They hate our clan because of our black fur. And they especially hate lions. They are dishonest and sneaky and violent. They want to be part of the elders. No, I cannot risk the lives of our family if you accompany us."

" All right, Father. I will go to the Pridelands and talk to King Simba."

A week passed. Shetana, Samizi and Mara enjoyed their last few days together. All too soon they had to make their three day journey to the Great River. The journey was harsh. They had to cross the Liora plain and it was hot. But once they reached the Great River the weather cooled. The small leopard family spent their last days together by the river. They caught game and fish. They swam in the cool water. But all to soon, Sousani announced that they had to go to the leopard clan meeting.

"Mara you must cross the river and journey for two days to the east until you see a large Beobab tree. Then from that tree you will see a pointed rock. That rock is where King Simba lives. The Beobab Tree marks the border of the Pridelands. You must let any animal you run across know that you are there to join King Simba's pride. You are not to hunt there or you will be severely punished. King Simba does not want outsiders hunting in his territory without his permission. You must hunt game before you reach this beobab tree or you can eat bugs. You know how to do this. Leopards eat bugs when there is nothing else. When you are approached by a member of the pride, you must roll over on your back in the submissive position or otherwise, they will attack you. Please remember this, my daughter!"

"I will remember this, Father."

"Goodbye and good luck my daughter. When you are a mother with cubs, perhaps we will see you again." Then Sousani hugged her to his chest. The other leopards hugged her too.

Shetana cried and told Mara she would miss being her sister. They they parted. Mara watched her leopard family leave. She would wait to cross the Great River and begin the journey to the East. The Leopards journeyed west along the River until they reached the Great Canyon of the Leopards where they were welcomed into the clan meeting.

Chapter Four The Clan Meeting and King Twombo's Plan

The clan meeting went well. Both Samizi and Shetana met other leopards. They were getting to know the other young leopards and looking for prospective mates. Sousani did not care if their mates were black or spotted leopards. He wanted his children to be happy. Most of the leopards treated black leopards equally as part of the clans but there were others who thought their black coats were a disgrace and wanted nothing to do with the black leopards. This faction came under King Twombo. For this reason, Sousani though his children might be better off choosing their mates among the black leopards.

Samizi was going with a beautiful black female named Midnight and Shetana captured the interest of a spotted male named Guzinga. All parents of these four approved the matches. Things were going well.

The clan meeting was also important for Sousani as well. He was a candidate for a position as an elder on the Leopard Council. If he won, that would mean that he would be in charge of several of the leopard clans. Black leopards were not usually chosen to be one of the elders and he would be the first. He would be voted into office by all of the adult leopards.

King Twombo was competing with Sousani for the spot. Both candidates would give their speeches before the council this evening. King Twombo went first.

"Fellow leopards. We live near the most fertile area, the Pridelands of King Simba. There are many of us and the Lion is our enemy. If you elect me, I will train you in new hunting techniques. I will teach you how to fight. Then we can take away the pridelands from King Simba and they will be ours. Then we can conquer other lands and spread the glory of our race. We will fight the lions wherever we go. It is our destiny to rule over all of will also purify our race by weeding out the crippled, the impure , and the unfit. We must get rid of the black leopards among us. They make our clans weak and they do not know how to fight. When they hunt with us , they are easily spotted. And some of them even want to make peace with our enemy the lion. Do you want to belong with such cowards? They need to be cast out! Elect me and I will make Africa, the kingdom of the leopards.!"

The leopards cheered. Then Sousani stepped forward to speak.

"Fellow leopards. I thank you for supporting my candidacy. I offer you peace and prosperity. King Twombo's way is the way of hatred and war. If we choose to fight the lions, we will only lose. Our children will die and game will be overhunted. We are solitary animals who wander in small clans. We are free to roam territories wherever we wish. Can we hold large territories against the great lion prides? There are as many of them as there are of us. We will only lose. Our best bet is to make peace with the lions and stay in each territory temporarily. In that way, if a territory becomes inhospitable , then we move to the next one. We keep everything in a delicate balance. And as for this conflict between black and spotted leopards, what does that matter? If you look beneath our dark coats, we also have spots. And we are useful We can hunt in the dark better than a spotted leopard. We can hunt at night while the spotted leopards rest. So it would help to have us as part of any of the clans. Twombo only want to destroy our unity and our way of life. He want to turn us into lions trying to hold territory. That is not our way. We are leopards! We are one!. I know how to talk to the lions and hyenas and how to live among them without making war. With me, our way of life will continue."

The leopards cheered. After that a vote was taken. King Sousani won the election. He would now be an elder on the leopard council. King Twombo was angry. But he would have his way. He would make sure that King Sousani would be kicked off the leopard council. And he would also conquer the Pridelands of King Simba.

King Sousani and Shoshana went to the Lands of the East with Samizi and Midnight. Now that he was an elder, he would rule this territory. It was also near King Simba's Pridelands. At some point, he hoped he would run into Mara.

Chapter Five Mara comes to the Pridelands

Mara did not cross the Great River right away. She followed behind her family and made sure she was not discovered. She even rolled into some dirt to cover her white coat. She followed them all the way to the Clan Meeting, but stayed outside the canyon. However, she managed to see and hear everything that was going on by hiding in the rocks and cliffs bordering the Canyon of the Leopards. She saw Shetana and Samizi with their new mates. She even heard King Sousani's speech and she was pleased to see he had won. She also saw King Twombo and his followers. Most of them were large leopards. All of them were scruffy. large spotted leopards and had scars. King Twombo even had a huge one on his nose. His followers almost caught her and she ran away from them.

It was time to leave. She could not put it off any longer. She journeyed back to the river where she had left her family, bathed in the water and crossed the river. She would be in the Pride lands in two days.

The Pridelands were green and verdant. Plants were growing and game was plentiful. It had been a year since Kiara and Kovu had gotten married. . Kovu and Kiara were both being trained in their duties as rulers. Today another wedding was being celebrated. Vitani and Nala's younger brother Mheetu stayed together in front of Pride Rock while Rafiki shook his staff over them. Then with Simba, Kovu, and Kiara, they roared and the other lionesses roared after them. Simba looked at his daughter and son-in-law and Vitani and Mheetu. He felt an emptiness in his still missed Nala. Last year she had been killed while on a solo hunt. There had been marks across her back. He suspected some renegade lion had killed her. There was a hole in his heart that could not be filled. Rafiki, Kiara, Mheetu, and Kovu had suggested he find a new queen. It would be a few years before Kiara and Kovu could take over and he needed a wife to help him with his duties and organize the hunts. Vitani tried but she was also the lead huntress and one of his chief advisors. He also wanted to have other cubs. There were other lands without lions and he could send part of his family there to conquer them. He especially wanted to restore lions to the Liora region where they had been wiped out years ago. Rafiki tried to suggest several candidates among the young lionesses in his pride and Simba agreed to let the lionesses show him that they could become his queen. Maybe he could marry Sarafina's other daughter. She was Kiara's age but she was a fine young lioness. Vitani had a lovely cousin from the Outsiders that would make a good candidate. He would think about her. Then there was Talana. Talana was a thin beige lioness with red eyes. She looked a lot like Zira. Talana had arrived soon after Nala died. Talana's pride had been killed by some rogue lions last year. Her pride had been on their way to the Pridelands to ask Simba if they could reside in the Pridelands but they had been killed before they crossed the border from the Outlands. Talana injured and limping had come into the Pridelands and had asked for asylum. Simba had granted it, but she would not leave him alone. She was a pesky lioness. She was always trying to talk to him or bring him the best meat. She even hinted that she could be Chief Huntress to impress talked Vitani into making Talana the Assistant Chief Huntress. She did not always do her share of the work and she poached game and took it to him for private meals. He warned her not to do this and to follow Vitani's orders. She kept telling him not to trust Vitani because she was an Outsider. He did not listen to her, Now she was trying to be best friends with Kiara. Kovu saw right through her but Kiara always took her side. Kiara even hinted that the Simba and Talana should be a couple. Of course he ignored Kiara's statements about this. He did allow her to be part of the lionesses, he was considering for his Queen, but he did not really want her. What made things worse was that she was telling the other lionesses that they were already engaged and intimidating any other lioness who wanted to be a candidate for Queen. He would definitly have to do something about that. It was too bad he could not marry the daughter of a king.

Mara arrived in the Pridelands the next day. She had left an antelope in one of the trees the day before and finished the rest of it in the morning. This tree was just a few feet over the border from the Pridelands. Some animals stared at her after she crossed into the Pridelands, but did not ask her what what going on. A blue hornbill flew over her and then flew off in the direction of Pride Rock. A mole poked his head out of the dirt, stared at her and then back into his hole to continue digging. Mara walked past the large Beobab tree and wandered through the grass. She saw Pride Rock in the Distance. She continued walking through the grass in the direction of the rock. She would probably reach it by late afternoon. She heard the rustling of bushes and then a roar. Three lionesses jumped in front of her and blocked her way. The largest lioness at the center growled at her and moved forward. Mara moved forward and growled at the lioness. When they came close to each other, Mara immediately dropped to the ground and rolled over on her back in the posture of submission, just as King Sousani had told her to.

Vitani looked at the strange white lioness. She was the large lioness who had approached Mara first. She had never seen anyone like her before. She was beautiful and regal. Vitani was not taking any chances. She would have to find what business this lioness wanted in the Pride Lands.

Vitani growled at her one last time and gently touched Mara's head with her right paw.

"Get up white lioness!" she commanded. "You are trespassing in our Pride Lands. What do you want here? Who are you?"

Mara got up and faced Vitani. Vitani was not that much bigger and was about her age. She had beautiful blue eyes like Mara'a own that were framed by black circles. It gave her a striking appearance. The lioness to the right of Vitani was gray and the one to the left of Vitani was a tawny gold.

"My name is Mara. I come from a land beyond the Great River. My pride was killed and now I am alone . I have heard of Pride Rock and the kindness of King Simba. I humbly ask that I be allowed to join your pride."

Talana who was the gray lioness scoffed at Mara. "You are lying. Across the Great River, lies the Liora Plain. All of the lions were killed there years are no lions left. Are you telling us that you survived the killing? How could you have survived? That would be impossible! The only other place across the Great River is the Canyon of the Leopards. No lion goes there because it is guarded by leaders of the Leopard Clans and they have their meetings there. You are just a rogue that came from the desert or the Outlands and you want to steal our game. Maybe we should kill you now because you are lying to us!"

"I am not lying to you. I come from the Liora Plain and I am the only survivor of the Liora massacre. I am the last Lioness of Liora," Mara pleaded.

"Liar!" Talana growled. She raked Mara's shoulder with her claw. Mara growled, leaped upon Talana, and pinned her to the ground.

Vitani laughed. She already liked this spirited lioness. She would be a great addition to their pride. If she had survived and lived on the Liora plain and had just pinned Talana, she would be a fierce and formidable adversary.

"Let Talana up, white lioness!" Vitani chuckled."Mara is your name? I believe your story. We saw you coming from the direction of the Great River. We will take you to meet King Simba and it will be up to him to let you join our pride."

Mara let Talana up. Talana gave her an angry look and growled but slinked back to join Vitani.

"Mara, I am Kiara. I am King Simba's daughter,, " the tawny lioness said. " My father would love to meet you and hear your story." She put out a paw to Mara and Mara shook it. "Were you the one that left the antelope in the tree just over the border?"

"Yes, that was my kill,"Mara answered.

"You must tell us how you to put your kill in a tree. It's a skill that might come in handy." Kiara stated. Mara felt comfortable with Kiara and started talking to her. Vitani joined in the conversation. Talana fumed with jealousy at the newcomer. She would get even with this rogue for humiliating her in front of Vitani and Kiara. As Kiara and Vitani talked to the newcomer, they were thinking that King Simba would be very impressed with her and would no doubt let her join the pride. She would make a fine wife for the King.

Mara was nervous when she reached the Pride Rock. Simba, Rafiki, Kovu, and Mheetu were waiting for her when she arrived with the other three lionesses.

Mara knew who King Simba was the moment she saw him. He was the largest lion in the group and he was regal and magnificent. His fur was a rich tawny gold. He had a large red mane that was bushier than her father's. He had the kindest most serious brown eyes. When Kiara introduced them, she got lost in his eyes. She bowed to the King and repeated her request to join his pride. She hoped he would not think she was a liar when she told him she came from the Liora Plain. When she finished her request, he merely looked at her for a minute and then he spoke.

"I will let you stay with us for two weeks and see how you get along with the other lionesses. You will be expected to join the hunting parties and take orders from Vitani. You will also train with the lionesses to hone your fighting skills. Hopefully, maybe you can teach a few of us to put our kills in a tree. I will reserve judgement until the two weeks have passed and I will talk to the other lionesses and other members of the pride. I would also like to hear your story of how you survived on the Liora Plain and I will check it out. If everything looks good, then I will give my consent to let you join our pride."

"Thank you, your Majesty." Mara said.

"In the meantime, you must be hungry. Please join the lionesses for dinner. You can rest tonight and you will go on a hunting party with Vitani tomorrow." Simba counseled. Then he climbed Pride Rock and went into the den. Mara climbed Pride Rock and started to go into the den.

As Mara started to walk into the den, Talana roared at her and blocked her way! "You are not one of us!" she sneered. "You hunt like a leopard. You don't even act like a lioness! You can eat our scraps out here after we are finished, leopardess! And I saw you staring at the King. He would not go for a rogue like you! So don't even think about going after him! He is my betrothed!"

Mara tried to walk past Talana, who kept moving in front of her and would not let her pass. Mara tried to jump on Talana to pin her, but Talana swiped at her with her left paw and grazed her right cheek.

"Talana!" Vitani yelled. "That is no way to treat a guest. Simba told her she could eat with us. Now back off!" Vitani rushed over to the two lionesses.

"When I become queen, Vitani, you will be doing guard duty with the cheetahs! As Simba's betrothed, I can tell everyone what to do around here!" Talana yelled back and swiped at Vitani with her paw.

"No, you can't, Talana! Simba has never said you were his betrothed! And he would throw you out of here, if he knew you were treating Mara like this." Vitani drew herself up and towered over Talana's head. "Now let Mara inside to eat or so help me, you will be assigned to housekeeping permanently and you will wish you were doing guard duty with the cheetahs!" Talana glared at Vitani but moved out of Mara's way. "Come on Mara", said Vitani. "Ignore her and let's go have dinner." Mara walked into the den with Vitani. Talana stayed outside the den and fumed.

Mara joined the other lionesses for dinner. Then she went to bed. She fell asleep dreaming of a lion with a magnificent red mane.

Chapter Six Mara Story and the King's Consent

The two weeks passed quickly. Mara accompanied Vitani on the hunts. In fact Mara was just as good as Vitani . She taught a few of the lionesses and even the lions how to put their kills in trees. Not all of them could master this skill but Vitani, Kiara, Kovu, Simba, and Mheetu learned how to do it pretty well. Talana had some trouble and Vitani laughed at her. Mara made friends with all of the lionesses except for Talana. Talana treated her with disdain and always ridiculed her with cutting remarks. Mara just ignored her. When she was not hunting Mara did combat training with the other lionessess. She trained well and honed her fighting skills. In fact Vitani sometimes let Mara take charge of some of the hunting also felt a growing attraction to King Simba. She enjoyed talking or listening to him. And she was thrilled the way he mastered putting the kill up a tree. He was a king of many talents. Sometimes he would catch her staring at him and Mara would always look away. She should not even be thinking about him. After all did he not belong to Talana? Wasn't Talana going to be his queen? At least that was what Talana was telling all of the other lionesses. One morning when seven days had passed, Simba decided he would talk to Mara . He woke her in the morning and told her he required her prescence and he wanted to hear her story. Mara relished this chance to be with King Simba alone. She would forget about Talana. They walked together through the Pridelands after leaving Pride Rock. It took all of Mara's strength not to try to lick the King or try to kiss him. She loved his kind dark eyes.

"I would like to hear about your life in Liora," the King said. "I was raised by a meerkat and a warthog because my uncle had killed my father and I ran away. The meerkat and the warthog found me in the desert and revived me. I was still a cub when this happened. So start from the beginning from the massacre. How did you survive that? Who raised you? Who were your parents?"

"I am the daughter of King Mzungu. My pride was killed by poachers, your Majesty. I survived by hiding in some trees. They skinned some of the bodies but they left my mother's alone. I was the only lioness left alive. I stayed by my mother's body and mourned for her. I scavenged for three days. Then I saw an antelope in a tree. I ran up the tree to eat it. Then I was found by a family of black leopards because the antelope was their kill. Two of them were going to hurt me for stealing their kill but their king stopped them. Luckily because I was only six months old, their king took me into their family and raised me like I was one of their own. The whole family was good to me. They taught me how to hunt and fight. I stayed with them for four years. King Sousani was the king of this clan and he was a good father to me. He always treated me like I was his daughter."

Suddenly, tears filled her eyes and she started to cry. "I miss my real parents. I have not thought about them for so long". Simba put a paw around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest. He let her cry. It felt comforting for Mara. She liked being close to Simba. All too soon she moved out of his embrace. "Better?" Simba asked.

'"Yes, Your Majesty."

Simba decided to continue their conversation.

"How did you end up coming here by yourself?"

"King Sousani's family was going to attend a meeting of the Leopard clans so his children could find mates. My leopard father told me that I could not attend the clan meeting because some of the leopards dislike lions enough to want to kill them. I did not stay behind and wait for them because his family was going to move to a new territory. He did not not want me to remain in Liora alone. He thought it would be better for me to join a lion pride. He told me to come here and ask if I could join your pride because he said you are a wise and compassionate ruler."

"Do you know where King Sousani is now?" Simba asked this because he wanted to find out where King Sousani lived so he could check out Mara's story.

"I do not know Sire, " Mara replied. "If I am not accepted into the pride, can you send me to another one? Where will I go?"

"I can send you to the Kingdom of the East if things do not work out. But do not worry about that now. So far you seem to doing well here. Most of the lionesses seem to like you." You will have my decision in one week. Now go join the hunting party." Mara looked at the King and bowed. As she walked away, she felt that wise brown eyes of the King staring at her. She did not look back.

Mara left and Simba looked after her. She was beautiful and gracious and a kings daughter, indeed. He hoped her story was true. She was very striking and her eyes reminded him so much of Nala's.

Simba heard a familiar laugh. He looked up at the sky and saw Nala staring down at him.

"Simba, you find her very attractive. I am sure she will make a good queen for you." Nala stated.

"Nala, she is so young. She is not like you. She treats me too much like a king. "

"She is very spirited like Kiara. Get to know her. You are not that old Simba. And she is a good leader. Look how she handles the hunting with Vitani. And I think she likes you. She is always staring at you. Besides isn't she a better choice than Talana? Now that one you have to watch out for."

"Yes, you are right Nala. I will get to know her."

Nala laughed and faded away into the clouds.

Talana saw Simba approaching Pride Rock. She ran to him with a freshly killed zebra in her mouth. When she reached Simba, she dropped the zebra kill at his feet. "Breakfast for just the two of us, Simba," she purred.

Simba gave her stern look. He yelled, "Why aren't you out with the hunting party, Talana? Vitani has complained that you are neglecting your hunting duties. After all you are the Assistant Chief Huntress? You should not be poaching extra game from the herds."

Talana backed away in embarassment. She did not know what to say. " Vitani just works us all very hard and gossips too much. You should make me Chief Huntress, Simba. Besides, I was busy getting a special breakfast for the King. Now, as long as I have this, why don't we enjoy it. "

"No, Talana. You can take it to the nursery for the cubs. That way it will not go to waste. You are not allowed to do special hunting just for me. I do not allow it."

"Why not? After all Simba, I will become your queen. And as your betrothed, don't I have a right to hunt for my Lord and Master?"

Simba answered her with an angry snarl. "You are not my betrothed and you will never be my Queen. You are not worthy of such an honor. In fact, as of this day forward, you will no longer be allowed to hunt for the Pride. You are no longer the Assistant Chief Huntress. You have used your position to take advantage of others. Today , after you give this zebra to the nursery, you will stay in the den and do the housekeeping detail. I will talk to Vitani tonight and we will give you another assignment. As of right now, you are no longer a candidate for Queen. You are not worthy to lead this pride because you are so selfish. You are lucky that I do not banish you from this pride. In fact, if I find that you are not doing your fair share of the work around here or that you are telling everyone that you are my betrothed, you will be exiled immediately and escorted off the Pridelands by the Cheetahs. Now go to the nursery and get out of my sight before I change my mind and throw you out now.!"

Talana backed away from the angry king. She picked up the zebra and climbed up Pride Rock and went into the den. She had never been so humiliated in all of her life. She would have to find a way to get into Simba's good graces again, but she was so angry at him she wondered if she should just take revenge.

The rest of the week passed for Mara. She pretty much helped organize and assist Vitani on the hunts. She also helped out wherever she was assigned and did not complain. She was also a good fighter. She trained some of the lionesses to fight like leopards. She was able to teach them how to protect themselves when they were alone. At night, she was friendly with everyone. She became very popular and was good friends with Kovu, Kiara, Vitani, and Mheetu. She felt very comfortable with them. She even enjoyed talking to Simba and felt more easier around him. She loved hearing his tales of how he was raised by Pumbaa and Timon. She wanted to meet the warthog and meerkat but Simba told her they were on vacation at the jungle oasis. She could look at him without blushing and felt that they could be friends. She also realized she was falling in love with him. And wondered who was his next candidate for queen. Everyone heard that he had humiliated Talana and had demoted her from being Assistant Chief Huntress. Now Talana either did housekeeping in the den or guard duty with the Cheetahs. This was what minor lionesses did. Talana disliked Mara more and more. She wanted to get Mara to leave the Pride but she did not know how.

Simba had sent Zazu and a Cheetah named Mufumo over to the Canyon of the Leopards to find out where King Sousani lived. One of the guards told the pair that king Sousani was living with his son in the Kingdom of the East. Mufomo and Zazu went to talk to King Sousani. They found he was a wise and gracious leopard king and spoke proudly of his adopted lioness daughter and confirmed that everything she had told Simba was true. He hoped that Simba would accept her into the Pride and he was pleased that she seemed to be fitting in so well. He told Zazu that if King Simba could not have her in the Pride to send her to the Lion King of The Kingdom of the East. This King only had two lionesses in his pride and he wanted to have more pride members.

Zazu and Mufomo returned to the Pridelands and gave their message from King Sousani to Simba.

Simba was very pleased. This afternoon he would prepare a special ceremony of Mara's acceptance into the Pride. He also called Vitani and spoke with her. Simba and Vitani planned the ceremony.

That afternoon Simba called all of the Pridelanders to the top of Pride Rock. He told everyone to stand in a circle. Simba told Mara to step into the center of the circle. Then he went up to Mara.

"Mara, white lioness, daughter of Lion King Mzungu of the Liora Plain and adopted daughter of Leopard King Sousani,you have asked us to become a member of our Pride. I now pass judgment. I have talked to all of the members of our Pride and they want you to become one of us. You have proven your self a skilled huntress and an avid fighter. You have taught us skills that we have not had before. Therefore, I grant your request to become a full member of the Pridelands. !"

"Now please bow, Mara and let Rafiki initiate you into our Pride!" The mandrill shook his staff over the bowed lioness's head and rubbed red ochre on her forehead. After that King Simba continued his speech. "Vitani and I have decided that you are one of the best huntresses in the Pride. You and Vitani will both be the Chief Huntresses of the Pride. You have pretty much helped us out already with this so this is just a formality. Both you and Vitani will have equal responsibility for organizing the hunting parties and if there is a conflict, Princess Kiara will make the final decision! Do you accept this , Mara?"

"Yes, I do your Majesty. But is this all right with Vitani?"

Vitani laughed and hugged Mara."Yes, Mara. It would be nice to have someone help me run the hunts. I really like this. I know I can count on you.

"Great, Vitani! Yes, Yes, I accept! And thank you Your Majesty!"

After that Simba and Kovu roared. Mara and Vitani roared. Then all of the lionesses in the Pride roared except Talana. Everyone hugged and kissed Mara including Kovu and Mheetu. Simba came up to Mara and stared into her eyes. Then he smiled at her. "I am glad you have joined our Pride Mara and now that you are a member, you can call me Simba. I am not formal like most lion kings" he said. Then Simba did something totally unexpected. He licked Mara's right cheek and kissed her. Talana stared at them and vowed she would kill this newcomer.

Chapter Seven For the love of Mara and Simba

Mara adjusted well to her new life in the Pridelands. She got along well with Vitani. Vitani did not have to worry about covering for her. . Mara taught Kiara how to hunt and her skills improved. She became Mara's advisor. They became good friends. Mara because of her new position often interacted with Simba. Simba would often seek her opinion on matters of hunting and fighting. And Mara would seek advise on motherhood and getting along with males from the older lionesses in the pride. Sarabi and Sarafina were especially helpful. Sometimes the royal family would often wander and patrol the Pridelands. Simba kept giving kingship lessons to Kovu and Kiara. Sometimes, he would ask Mara to come along as well. He told her that she would be taking training as one his advisers. It was part of her job as a Chief Huntress. Simba was a fair ruler and very compassionate. He taught them how to treat the environment and to keep everything in balance as Mufasa had taught him. Mara and Simba developed a deep friendship and became comfortable with one another. A year passed since Mara had joined the Pride. Simba was also making his decision who would be his next queen. Talana was no longer a candidate. He was going to replace her with someone else but no one knew anything about this detail. Simba was in negotiations with the families of the other two candidates. Everyone though that Sarafina's younger daughter would be the most likely prospect as she looked exactly like Nala. Vitani's cousin was also being considered. In fact Simba spent a lot of time taking both of these lionesses on tours of the Pridelands. Sometimes he would take Mara on a tour of the Pridelands too, but Simba mostly talked about which candidate would be best for Queen. Simba was always trying to seek Mara's advice because he valued her opinion. Although, Mara tried to be helpful, it was hard. She could always point out the attributes of both lionesses, but she loved Simba herself and found it irritating to talk about other females. Sometimes he would also ask her opinion on various subjects. If she could give him a solid piece of advice, he would often thank her and hug her. These moments she enjoyed. Sometimes she wondered if he knew her feelings, but she was too afraid to tell him. Then she decided that maybe she could offer herself as his Queen, but she wondered if he would even consider her. No, he would not. She might have been the daughter of a Lion King, but she was an orphan raised by a family of leopards. She had just gotten used to living in Lion Society again and there was still a lot she had to learn. Then another idea sprang into her head. Some Lion Kings had concubines; they were wives of a lesser rank.. They were not queens, but they could have cubs with the King and they held an important rank second only to the Queen herself. Some of her brothers and sisters in King Mzungu's pride had been the children of concubines. Although, they would not inherit the kingdom, they were still pretty important. Next time she saw Simba she could ask herself if she could be his concubine. She hoped Simba would agree. Simba told Mara that they would be going on a trip to Upendi Falls. The two took a day's journey and talked about running the Pridelands until they climbed up the mountain where the Falls were. Simba started talking about how this was the prettiest part of the kingdom and he asked her if she liked it. Mara said she loved it. "That is good, Mara," Simba said. "I value your opinion. You have been a good friend. I am going to take my betrothed here and ask her to be my queen." Then Simba hugged her. Mara hugged him back but then she pushed herself away. A lump began in her throat and tears sprang to her eyes. She turned away from Simba and did not even look at him. "What ?" Simba asked. "Mara, what is it? You can tell me anything. You are one of my dearest friends."

His voice sounded so kind and gentle. "Simba, I love you., "Mara declared."I have loved you for a very long time. It is hard for me to discuss your candidates for Queen. I know I am not good enough to be your queen, but I would still like to have a relationship with you. Could I be your concubine?"

Simba gazed at her in shock. . "No! I only want to have my queen! That is not possible. It is not our tradition!" He sounded a little harsh.

"All right then Simba. Let's pretend I never said anything! We're still just friends, okay! Let's just have a good day. I'll race you to the falls! "Her voice sounded irritated and angry.

Mara felt stupid and embarrassed. She had made a complete and utter fool of herself. She covered these feelings. She sped off and ran to the Falls. "Mara, wait"! . " we need to talk!" he yelled after her. She turned around to find Simba running after her. "No", she answered, " I am thirsty and I want to have some fun. I am through talking!" They got to the Falls. Simba ran in front of her and roared blocking her way. She tried to run away but he reared up and blocked her with his paws and grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face him. " What do you want from me Simba?" she cried. " I told you to forget what I said! I know I made a fool of myself! Now let me go.!" Tears filled her eyes and she started to cry. She felt more foolish then ever. Simba pulled her towards his chest, wrapped his paws around her and let her cry on him. When she finished crying, he gently pulled her away from him and lifted her chin so she faced him directly. He began his speech. '"Mara, you are not a fool for loving me! I told you that I did not want you as my concubine because you are too good for that. Mara. I LOVE YOU. I want you to be my Queen.. I have loved you more than any other lioness since Nala died. I know I am older than you, but I am still young enough to raise another family and have many more good years with you. We get along so well Mara. Please marry me and be my queen."

Mara was speechless. She did not expect this but she was thrilled. She had loved Simba since she had seen him that first day when she entered the Pridelands. "Yes, Yes, Simba. I will be your wife and your Queen. I love you very much. I have loved you from the first day that I met you, but I did not think you would want a rogue lioness to be your Queen."

"Mara, you are beautiful and strong. You are a great huntress and you have a beautiful soul. Your father was a king and your adopted father is a king. Why would you not be worthy? I am lucky I found you and that you came to our Pride. Mara , you were the third candidate. I took you here today to ask you to be my Queen." Simba pulled Mara toward his chest and hugged her and kissed her. She hugged him back. They walked to the pool together. When they got to the pool, both lions drank the water. Then Mara ran past Simba. He stared at her but she kept on going. She swung on a vine and dived into the pool. Then she swam to the surface of the water, grabbed Simba and pulled him in. After they both climbed out, he grinned at her then shoved her back into the pool. She climbed out again and then Simba started chasing Mara across a field of grass near the falls. Then they stood up, hugged each other and rolled down a hill. They were on top of each tother. Mara licked his face and he kissed her. When they got up, they nuzzled each other. They spent the rest of the day laying next to each other. Both of them were content. Simba had found his new Queen. The hole in his heart began to close. Mara had found her place in Simba's pride.

Tonight they would stay at the Falls and tomorrow they would return to the Pridelands. Arrangements would be made for their wedding and Mara's coronation as Queen

Chapter Eight

Talana sneaked off to meet her mother. She felt better this week. At least she did not have to do housekeeping duties as much any more. She only was doing it twice a week. The rest of the time she was doing guard duty. Sarabi had asked her if she wanted to become a nurse. Rafiki needed two lionesses to do just that. Vitani's cousin was one of the lionesses. She had been asked to do this because she was no longer a candidate for Queen. Talana had said yes. She might as well learn something useful..Sarabi told her if she excelled at this it would give her a higher social status then she had now. In a year, she might be allowed to join the hunting parties again. She was not happy with Simba's choice of Queen but she was not surprised. And she was really beginning to question her mother's plan for taking over the pride. But it was too late to stop now. She went on to meet her mother.

Zuna was the twin sister of Zira. When Kiara and Kovu had gotten the Prides together, Zuna had refused to go over to the Pridelanders like Vitani and the rest of the Outsiders had. She was the only one who stood with Zira. d. She had joined her sister when Zira wanted to kill Simba. But after Zira had died in the River, Simba extended his invitation to join the Pride to her and she refused. She had run away from the Pridelands and became a rogue lioness. She had joined a weak pride and became their queen. She had given birth to Talana and raised her daughter with hatred. Talana's father the old king Aruvi had finally died and his son Balthasar became king. Zuna had to step down but not before she saw how weak Balthasar was. She killed him and took over the small pride. There were only three lionesses besides her and her daughter. There was one male called Tarkan but he was weak and thin and pretty much wandered on his own. Zuna ignored him. He even talked about leaving them. Then all of them took up residence in the Outlands and started poaching in the Pridelands. . . Zuna wanted her daughter to become Queen of the Pridelands. She moved forward to do this. First she had maimed and killed Nala when Nala had caught her poaching game. She had deliberately poached the game when Nala was out on a solo hunt and the two of them confronted each other. Then she had the other lionesses deliberately hurt and maim Talana so she could join Simba's pride with a story that Talana's pride had been killed by a rogue lion.. It was a scheme she had concocted, so she could rule the Pridelands through her daughter. She wanted Zira's death avenged. But now things were even worse. Talana dreaded meeting her mother. She would have to tell her the news that Simba had chosen his new queen.

Zuna greeted her with an angry roar. "You are a disgrace! Not only have you not become queen, but now you have become a lowly nurse and you are working with Vitani's cousin. Vitani is our enemy! She betrayed her pride and Zira. I consider her responsible for Zira's death.!"

"Mother, how do you know this?" Talana slowly backed away from her mother. Talana could not really stand her mother's angry hatred. It made her look so much like Zira.

"I have wandered around the Pridelands and I have heard the giraffes and the elephants talking. Everyone knows that news travels fast around here. And I have killed some of the cheetah guards and eaten them so they would not be discovered. It has humiliated me that you have been seen guarding with them! Are you still with me Talana?"

"Yes, mother.!" Talana replied. "Good". Said Zuna. "I have a new plan. We are going to meet with one of the Leopard Kings. He will bring some of the leopard clans here and we will fight Simba alongside them and take over the Pridelands. There will be so many leopards that Simba and his lionesses will not be able to win. And what is more, they will not blame the war on this king. We will meet with him tonight and he will tell us of his plan.! His name is King Twombo!"

Talana did not like King Twombo on sight. He talked about how awful black leopards were and complained about the lion prides. He was a megalomaniac who felt it was his destiny to rule over all of Africa. He said he would enslave or kill the lions. He introduced Zuna and the rest of the pride as their allies. Then he told of his evil plan. "We will try to poach the herds of the Pridelands. But we will do it in disguise! We will cover ourselves with the black lava sand from the volcanoes and we will look like black leopards. This way everything will be blamed on the Black Leopards. We will kidnap Princess Kiara and Prince Kovu and then hold them for ransom. Then when King Simba tries to pay the ransom , one of our divisions will circle his army and massacre them. The Other will lie in wait near Pride Rock and attack the rest of the Pride. We will not leave one of them alive and then the Pridelands will be ours. Then when the other lion prides get angry at the Leopard clans, we will start the rumor that King Sousani and the black Leopards caused this. The black Leopards will be cast out and then we will rule over everyone. After that we will conquer all of the lion prides and rule over all of Africa.! The lions will be our slaves or we will kill them. Are you with me fellow leopards?"

"Yes! Yes!" all of the leopards cheered.

Zuna cheered along with the other lionesses in their small pride. Only Tarkan looked upset. Talana did not know what to do. Zuna introduced her to King Twombo.

'He licked his lips and stared at her lasciviously. Talana shuddered inwardly but looked at him with a cool expression. He began. " You are a beautiful lioness. Your mother has been telling me what a wonderful spy you have been. Your information has been helpful. Please keep up the good work. When all of this is over, there will be a place for you and your mother in my kingdom. You will not be a slave my dear. I might make you a nurse to my concubines!" He put his paws under her chin. He was almost as large as she was. "That would be a privilege and an honor, your Majesty!" She bowed to King Twombo , but her heart was not in it.

"Now you must go back to the Pridelands, my dear," the evil Leopard King said. "and continue giving us your information. It will not be long before we strike and the Pridelands will be ours!"

Talana went back to the Pridelands with a heavy heart. She was in trouble and she did not know what to do.

Chapter Nine Talana Betrays the Leopards

Simba began to hear reports of black leopards poaching in the Pridelands. Wildebeest complained that four of their elders were taken. Giraffes complained about their foals. Then one of the lionesses was ambushed by the rogue leopards. Mara became alarmed. She could not believe that black leopards were doing this. She wanted to send a message to King Sousani. Talana kept up her spying activities and also started gossip about Mara. She tried to turn the other lionesses against her by pointing out that the leopards had not become a problem until Mara was asked to marry Simba and become his queen. Most of the lionesses ignored this but there were a few that demanded that Simba look into Mara's background or keep an eye on her. Talana was growing weary of these activities. She was tired of her mother and King Twombo. Tarkan told her he was going to leave and try to join the Kingdom of the East. He wanted her to go with him.

She kept reporting of the movements of the guards to King Twombo. She was ordered to keep a watch on Kiara and Kovu. She was one of the main parts of Twombo's plan' She would try to persuade Princess Kiara and Prince Kovu to go on a hunting party and then separate them from the rest of the group. This would occur within three days. After that the black leopards would attack them. One night she attended a meeting of the King Twombo's troops after her mother had left. They did not even know though she was there. She was hidden behind a termite mound in the Outlands.

One of Twombo's top commanders asked him what he was going to do with the lions. "Are we really going to enslave them?"

"No," Twombo said. "Every last one of them is going to be killed. I despise them. We will dispose of them and the black leopards. The black leopards will be killed as well."

"What about this pride of rogue lions that are our allies? "the general asked.

"They will be killed afters we kill the lions of the Pridelands. How can we trust them if they are willing to betray their own species? I especially want to kill Talana and Zuna her ugly mother. Talana is useful but I am sure she would betray us. After we no longer need her, I look forward to all of us choking her and ripping her apart."

Talana stayed for hours after the leopards left. She then went to Pride Rock. How was she going to get out of this?

She came out of the termite mound with a heavy heart. Tarkan came up to her. "What is it, Talana?" he asked. " I am your friend. You can tell me." What did she have to lose? Tarkan was like a brother to her. In fact he was her cousin and he was very smart. So she told him about spying for King Twombo and the leopard's king plan to wipe out every lion and every black leopard from the face of the earth including disposing of their own pride.

Then Tarkan after soothing her said "Why don't we talk to a friend of mine? His name is Rafiki. He is King Simba's shaman. Let's see him now. Maybe we can warn King Simba and he can tell the other lion prides."

Mara was upset at the reports of the black leopards. Simba was having trouble deciding what to do. He wondered if some of the black leopards in the leopard clans were doing this or if King Sousani was responsible. Mara tried to tell him her adopted father was a wise and just king. There might be a gang of rogue leopards responsible. "I think King Twombo has something to do with this, Simba. He will do anything to discredit my adopted father. Let's send a message to my father and the leopard clans. Maybe we can find out about Twombo. I can go and deliver the message to my father.!"

"No, Mara. It is too dangerous. I will send Zazu to the leopard clans to ask for help. And I will send one of the other lionesses and four cheetahs to the Lion King of the Kingdom of the East to see if King Sousani can be trusted. I will send Mufomo, the cheetah to King Sousani. We will have some of the elephant clans go along with all of these messengers for protection."

"You don't trust me Simba! I told you. My leopard father has nothing to do with this! You do not have to send someone to the Lion King of the East to see if my father can be trusted!"

"Mara, as a King I have to look at all possibilities! We do not know where these leopards come from. Please try to understand!"

"How can I? You think my father had something to do with this. You want to attack the only family I have ever known. I am surprised you still trust me! Why don't you have me checked out? After all the leopards started coming here after you asked me to marry you!"

"Mara, I have checked you out because I suspect someone is feeding information to these rogue leopards."

" I am not s spy . Simba. I have proved my loyalty to this pride. And now, you don't trust me or my family. How can I marry you and be your queen if you don't trust me? I will leave the Pridelands before you exile me!" Mara cried and left.

"Mara, why did you have to leave? I was going to tell you I do trust you. I have been checking everyone out because someone inside the kingdom is giving the leopards information.!"Simba spoke after her but she did not hear him.

Mara fled to the river that bordered the Outlands. She would stay and guard the area until she decided what she would do. She felt that her and Simba could not trust each other. She felt bad about this because she still roved Simba. She was not sure she could love anyone else. She would stay in the Pridelands and fight the rogue leopards herself. This would prove her loyalty to the Pridelands.

Simba could not think about Mara because Rafiki was approaching Pride Rock with a thin rogue male lion and Talana.

"Rafiki, what is going on here? Who is the male lion? And why are you here, Talana?"

"

Your majesty, Talana knows about what the leopards are trying to do. This lion is her cousin Tarkan and he is a friend of mine. Please listen to them, your Majesty." the old shaman replied.

Simba met with Rafiki and the two lions. He became almost angry when Talana told him she had been spying for King Twombo and about how the evil leopard king had made his clan disguise themselves to look like black leopards. He was alarmed when she told him about the plot to kidnap his daughter and son-in-law and split his army in half and kill all of the lions. She also told him that the kidnapping was to begin in three days. Then with a heavy heart she told him about the murder of Nala by her mother. He roared at her but Kiara told Simba to calm down.

He roared again at Talana, "Why should I trust you, Talana? I should have never let you into this pride. I don't like the way you treated Mara. And now you are a traitor. Exile is too good for you. Give me one good reason I shouldn't rip you apart!"

"Maybe you should rip me apart Simba. But you can trust me now, because I have nothing to lose. Twombo plans to kill all lions including my Pride. And because I do not share the same hatred that my mother does. I did not like spying on you King Simba. I am telling you this to redeem myself and maybe save my pride."

"All right. But after this I will find some punishment for your spying Talana. You will stay here. Tarkan you can join us in the battle if you wish."

"Thank you, King Simba I would be happy to. But please do not kill my cousin, Talana. It was my idea to get her to talk to you.," Tarkan begged.

"Because you are friends with Rafiki, I will spare Talana's life but she will have to pay for her crimes with a period of enslavement. I believe that would be fair."

"Thank you your majesty," Tarkan bowed to King Simba.

Then Simba announced his plans for assembling an army. "I will send some of the flamingos to the Canyon of the Leopards and the herons to the Lion Kingdoms of the East and West as messengers. Rafiki, send some of the moles to notify these birds. They must be ready to journey at a moment's notice. Hopefully we can raise an army in two days. Tarkan, you can join the lionesses on the patrols. Talana , you will take care of the injured under the watchful eyes of Rafiki and the cheetah guards. If you attempt to mistreat any of our injured or betray us in any way, you will be executed. Let's get started!"

After that Simba summoned Kovu and Kiara. He told them about the plot to kidnap them and the war with the leopards. "You two will journey to the desert and go to the oasis where I was raised by Timon and Pumbaa. You will leave now."

"Daddy, I do not want to go.! "Kiara cried.

"Simba, I want to fight alongside you! Let me stay!" Kovu pleaded.

"You two are the heirs to the Pridelands. You are too important to lose! Now go. I must not worry about you!" "All right," they both agreed. The Prince and Princess started off in the direction of the oasis. They reached the desert at dawn.

Chapter Ten Attack by Zuna and the Leopards

It was two days before the plot to kidnap the prince and princess was supposed to take place. Zuna was suspicious. She had seen suspicious movements among the birds. There were less elephants in the Pridelands. She tried to tell her suspicions to King Twombo but he just ignored her. She even told him that no one had heard from or had seen the prince and princess but Twombo dismissed her and said she would be his slave if she continued to bother him. He did grant her request for a patrol of leopards to go with her pride. She told Twombo that she needed the leopards to help poach some antelope on the Pridelands. She decided she would also watch for the movements of the royal family. Maybe if the prince and princess were gone, they could kidnap others. The rogue pride and the leopards set out.

Vitani, Mheetu and two lionesses were going on a hunting party. They had to be extremely careful. Simba had summoned them and said that they were only to try to capture small game and they were to report to him if there was any suspicious activity. He also told them to be on the lookout for Mara. He was worried about her because she had not returned.

Vitani and Mheetu came to the River separating the pridelands from the Outlands. Next to the River were some rocks and a dead antelope. Vitani , Mheetu and the hunting party went to look at the antelope. "Someone poached this antelope! "Vitani remarked. They had made the animal suffer. It looked like the work of leopards."

"We poached the Antelope, " a cackling voice said. Zuna, her pride and the leopards jumped out and surrounded the hunting party.

Zuna paced in front of the angry Vitani. "What a prize! The betrayer of my sister! I might not have the prince and princess but the king's cousin and brother-in-law are the next best thing. All of you are now prisoners of King Twombo!"

"You won't take my family prisoner!" a voice roared. A white lioness jumped in front of Zuna and started attacking her. She sliced at Zuna's face with ther paw.

"Mara!" Vitani yelled.

"Get out of here, Vitani! I will hold them off while you get away!' Mara yelled. Vitani and Mheetu would not leave Mara alone. They and the other lionesses started attacking the leopards and the rogue pride.. Two leopards surrounded Mara. They raked their claws across her back. Zuna raked her right shoulder and her left paw. And had left open wounds on both.

Mara kept fighting. Then one on the leopards swiped her so hard she was knocked to the ground unconscious and lay there bleeding.

The leopards had injured one more Pridelander lioness but more black leopards joined the battle. At first Vitani and Mheetu were alarmed but these leopards were different. Their coats were shiny and you see the spots underneath their black coats. The leopards that attacked them did not have spots on their black coats. These new leopard soon fought and killed the other black leopards and injured two of the lionesses in the rogue pride. Two of them held Zuna as prisoner. A s soon as the group of leopards had finished the fight, the largest black leopard who was the leader of the group introduced himself to Mheetu and Vitani..

"You must be part of King Simba's pride. I am King Sousani of the leopard clan in the Kingdom of the East. I received a message from King Simba about a gang of rogue leopards threatening the Pridelands. I came to offer my support to King Simba to defeat them. Most of the leopard clans want peace with the lion prides. My medics will treat your injured and the injured of the enemy."

Mheetu spoke. "I am Mheetu, King Simba's brother-in-law and advisor and this is my wife Vitani, one of our pride's chief huntresses. We thank for your support. After you treat the wounded, we will take you to King Simba!"

"You will not have to do that, Mheetu!" a strong voice declared. "I am here!". A golden lion with a red mane joined the group. It was King Simba. He walked over to the majestic leader of the black leopards.

"Welcome to the Pridelands, King Sousani! I am glad you are able to fight along with us. Five leopard clans that were told to fight along side us have just arrived from the Canyon of the Leopards. We will be ready to take down these rogue leopards. I am sorry that I thought you had something to do with this. I got some reliable information that King Twombo is behind this thing!"

' " As one king to another, I understand that you had to check me out just as you checked out Mara, my lioness daughter. Where is she? I would like to see her!"

Before Simba could reply, Samizi ran to his father. "Dad" he called. "Mara is badly injured. She is over here" Simba and King Sousani rushed over to the white lioness. King Sousani got to her first. "My brave daughter!' he said. He licked her face with his tongue. Mara woke up and looked into the face of her father. "Father," she said. " Why are you here? I want to go home with you!" King Sousani stroked her head with one paw. "You need to recover from your wounds first, " he said. Mara was still awake. Her eyes filled with tears. She felt comforted by the sight of her father.

"King Sousani, I will carry her!" she hear a strong voice say. It was Simba. Simba came to her and hugged her. Mara clung to him but lost consciousness. " I love you, Mara. I should have trusted you," Simba said. Then he placed her on his back. They all went back to the Pridelands.

The next day a fierce battle erupted between the Pridelanders and the leopard clans on one side and the rogue leopards under King Twombo on the other. Many brave warriors were injured and a few died. King Twombo and most of his group died in the battle. Only five rogue leopards survived and they would be taken back to the Canyon of the Leopards to be put on trial and possibly enslaved. Simba had yet to decide what he would do with Zuna and Talana.

Chapter Eleven

Mara Gets well and the Punishment of Zuna and Talana

Mara was unconscious for two days. She drifted in and out of sleep. She sometimes felt the presence of her leopard father. He would often stroke her back. Sometimes she felt Simba as well. She felt a large furry body that lay beside her. Sometimes he would lick her face or stroke her head. She woke up and found herself staring at Vitani and Rafiki. "Oh, the Queen is awake! You must rest now, your highness and you will be able to go hunting in four days."Rafiki smiled at her and left.

Mara looked at Vitani. "I thought I was no longer , Queen, Vitani. . Simba does not trust me. I feel I have to leave the Pridelands. And I may go to the Kingdom of the East with my father when he goes home." Mara stated.

"What! Of course, not! You are a heroine! You fought those leopards and Zuna long enough so we could attack. Simba has been worried about you, Mara. He has not left your side for the past two days. And your father, the Leopard King has been staying with you, too. Please don't think that, Mara. Simba and the Pride need you."

"Simba admitted himself that he had to check on me, Vitani. I cannot have him accusing me of disloyalty every time we have a crisis."

Vitani looked at Mara with her wise blue eyes. "Simba checked all of us, Mara. Sometimes kings have to do that. I am Simba's cousin, Mara. My father killed my Uncle Mufasa and Simba's father for the throne. When I first came here, all of the Outsiders had to earn Simba's trust especially me. For the first few months I was here, I did guard duty with the cheetahs and housekeeping duty. After a year, I was allowed on the hunting parties. Simba objected to my relationship with Mheetu because Mheetu had been promised to another lioness. I had to earn his trust. I am sure even after you are married you will still have to build your relationship with Simba. He does love you, Mara and he needs you. Don't go to the Kingdom of the East. And Simba is also friends with your father, the Leopard King. If your father can trust Simba, why can't you?"

"I could not have said it better myself, my daughter." King Sousani remarked as he padded into the den." Vitani, chief huntress, you are very wise. But, may I speak to my daughter alone.?"

"Of course, your majesty, " Vitani replied. She bowed to King Sousani and left the den.

Mara sat up and looked at her magnificent black leopard father.

"I trust you are feeling better, Mara. Are you up to talking to me?"

"Yes, Father".

"It has come to my attention that you want to leave your duties as Queen and go to the Kingdom of the East with me. You can do that if you wish. The Lion King there needs more lions and lionesses to join his pride. But why do you want to do that? Are you afraid, you will not be able to do your duties as Queen?"

"No, Father! Simba does not trust me. He had me checked out when King Womb's army came here. And when I left, he did not even try to find me. And he did not listen to me when I told him, you had nothing to do with this. He thought a faction of black leopards from one of your clans was invading the Pridelands."

"Mara, King Simba had to protect and defend his kingdom. He really had no way of knowing which leopard factions to trust. Kings have to check out everyone. A king sometimes has to look into the hearts and minds of those closest to him. There is always a chance that someone might overthrow him. It comes with being a monarch. I have had to check out some of my closest advisers in the leopard clans. It is one of my duties as king. A king always has to know he can trust his advisers as things and circumstances sometimes change. You will encounter this in your duties as queen. I have been getting to know King Simba for the past few days. Like Vitani said, he loves you and needs you. I have watched him care for you the past two days, Mara. You could not be in better hands. And if he did not find you, it was because he had to take care of King Twombo. They were planning to kidnap his daughter and son-in-law. Are you sure you are not afraid to be Queen, Mara?"

"I am not afraid to be Queen, Father. Simba has been training me."

"Then trust your mate and king. You have done well for yourself here, Mara and I am proud of you." He hugged her and left.

An hour later Simba came to see Mara. "Rafiki says you can hunt if four days, Mara." He felt kind of award. The he went over to Mara and put his forelegs around her and hugged her. Mara leaned against his chest and put her face in his magnificent red mane.

"I love you Mara and I am sorry I did not trust you. Please stay here and be my Queen. I need you and so does the rest of the Pride. I would be heartbroken if you left me."Simba said this as he still held Mara.

Mara replied still holding on to Simba "I will stay with you and be your queen. I know you had to check me out. My father explained it to me. I love you and trust you Simba" Then Simba kissed her.

There was still the matter of the rogue Pride and Talana to be decided. The remaining members of the Pride were given the option of going to the Kingdom of the East with King Sousani or going to the Kingdoms of the West and living in the dry desert. Zuna chose this option She went to the Kingdoms of the West by herself. Tarkan and the rest of the lionesses in the rogue pride decided to go to the Kingdom of the East. They would work for the Lions in the Kingdom of the East Pride as guards for two years. These lions thought that this punishment was fair.

Talana was given a different sentence. This was suggested by King Sousani himself. He talked with Talana and got to know her. He felt that Talana could be rehabilitated.. It was decided that Talana would become a healer and indentured servant to the Lion King of the East and to the Leopard Clan of King Sousani. Talana would finish her medical training under some of the leopards healers in King Sousani's clan After a year of training she would serve both the Lion King of the East and the Leopard clan as a healer for two years. Talana was pleased with this decision. She would find a place among her new pride. What was more interesting, a young prince from the Lion King of the East's Pride was interested in her. He had met her because he accompanied the leopard clan of King Sousani into battle. This prince named Yame was would be one of the King's chief Advisers. Talana could not leave the Kingdom of the East or set foot in the Pridelands for three years. She willingly agreed to these terms and thought they were fair.

Chapter Eleven Wedding and Coronation

The big day came for the wedding of Simba and Mara. Simba and the royal family gathered at the top of Pride Rock. Other lions and lionesses gathered at the foot of Pride Rock. The leopard clans and Timon and Pumbaa gathered with them. The other animals gathered in groups out in the fields. Simba waited at the top of the huge rock for his beautiful bride. Mara wore a crown of pink flowers on her head and walked with King Sousani and her brother Samizi. Vitani and Kiara walked in front of Mara. They both wore circles of blue flowers on their heads. Mara walked up Pride rock with her father and brother. She stood beside Simba in front of Rafiki.

"Dearly we beloved, we are gathered here today to join King Simba and Princess Mara in holy matrimony." After a brief ceremony Rafiki pronounced Simba and Mara as husband and wife. They kissed as he waved his stick over their heads.

Then the shaman wrapped a zebra robe around Mara and put red ocher on her forehead. He waved his stick over Mara's head. The shaman walked Mara over to King Simba and he put their paws together.

Then Rafiki yelled 'I present to you Queen Mara, white lioness of the Pridelands. The animals and everyone cheered. Simba roared, then Mara roared. After that all of the lions and lionesses roared. King Sousani and Samizi hugged Mara. The Simba nuzzled Mara. Queen Mara looked up in the sky and saw a large white lion staring down at her. It was her lion father, King Mzungu. "You have done well my daughter. You have brought peace to the leopard clans." Mara looked up at the sky and then smiled at Simba her husband and king. She had at last found her place in the Circle of Life.

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End file.
